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Wednesday, 13 May 2015

The Exploding Eyes Orchestra - I (Album Review)

Album Type: Album

Date Released: 12th June 2015

Label: Svart Records

'I' track Listing:

01 The Smoke

02 Crazy Heart

03 My Father The Wolf

04 Drawing Down The West

05 Two-Zero 13

06 Black Hound

07 Farewell to All-In-One

Bio:

What started as a pastime for Jess and the Ancient
Ones guitarist and songwriter Thomas Corpse has morphed into an actual band:
The Exploding Eyes Orchestra. With a lineup consisting of five out of seven
Jess and the Ancient Ones members, the band's debut album, simply titled I,
will hit the streets on June 12th.

According to Thomas Corpse, the idea behind the new
combo was to find an outlet for material which the prolific songwriter found
incompatible with the Jess and the Ancient Ones concept. The album is culled
from lengthy recording sessions held in Kuopio, Finland in the winter of 2013
and 2014, and these sessions also produced another album's worth of excellent
material, which will see the light of day on the next release, II, in the
spring of 2016. Despite the relaxed nature of the sessions, these are not
jam-based improvisational tracks but strong, carefully planned compositions.
The music is laid back and soulful, influenced by classic rock, with powerful
female vocals.

What else the future might bring to The Exploding
Eyes Orchestra is difficult to foretell, and Corpse likes to consider the band
as a loose collective unit which doesn't necessarily follow the traditional
route of rock bands (even though they do play live and release albums) but is
not a therapy session either.

Review:

If
the wait for a new LP from Finland’s Jess and the Ancient Ones is getting you
down, “I” by The Exploding Eyes Orchestra is here to ease your pain. Boasting a
line-up that is 5/7 of Jess and the Ancient Ones and sharing a guitarist and
songwriter in Thomas Corpse, there are many similarities between the Exploding
Eyes Orchestra and their sister band but they still possess an identity of
their own.

You
would be hard pressed to identify any discernible difference between the two
bands from opener “The Smoke”, five minutes of thumping organ fuelled heavy
rock with more than a hint of Deep Purple. “Drawing Down The West” is another
track which could be from either bands stable while “Two-Zero 13” occupies
similar territory to “The Smoke” but with added aggression and dirt which gives
it a welcome grunge feel. However, over the course of the rest of the album the
two bands styles begin to diverge and The Exploding Eyes Orchestra begin to
establish their individuality.

“Crazy
Heart” and “My Father The Wolf” are both solid nuggets of pure classic rock
gold shorn of any metal elements whatsoever. This is no bad thing though,
particularly if you are partial to a bit of Fleetwood Mac and 70’s Bruce
Springsteen. I feel the band really come into their own during these two tracks
and this is the sound they need to explore and expand further in future
releases.

The
remaining two tracks bring the album to a close in an odd yet captivating
fashion. “Black Hound” establishes an eerie atmosphere with slide guitar and
harmonica before a menacing bass riff that wouldn’t be out of place on “Songs
for the Deaf” lumbers into view, heralding a dark bluesy stomp. “Farewell
All-In-One” brings proceedings to a close with the most progressive track on
the album. It begins life as a 50s style ballad, all crooning and expansive
reverbed twang and slowly develops to an epic instrumental finale that is only
a mellotron away from prime prog territory and even brings to mind some of
Grails’ more serene moments.

This
is an excellent debut from The Exploding Eyes Orchestra that will satisfy fans
of the members’ previous work and win them new admirers both from within the
metal community and further afield. You won’t have to wait long for another dose
either as “II” was recorded during the same sessions and will be with us this
time next year.

Words
by: Charlie Butler

Thanks
To Nathan at Svart Records for the album promo. I will be released on CD/DD/Vinyl from
Svart Records from June 12th 2015.

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